Christine wrote about it earlier today, and now it’s official. Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich is out of the race less than 24 hours after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) made his exit after a devastating loss to billionaire Donald Trump in last night’s Indiana primary.
Kasich thanked his wife, Karen, whom he said endured and accentuated his political career. He also thanked his volunteers, who he described as an “amazing” group of 800 people who were there for him in New Hampshire, Michigan, and South Carolina.
“They were believers … I could never thank them enough,” he said. Kasich added that his mother always said, “Never forget the volunteers, Johnny.”
WATCH: @JohnKasich suspends his presidential campaign: https://t.co/2Wf4psqrSp
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 4, 2016
The governor then went into various anecdotes concerning his presidential campaign, the people he met along the way, and the residents of New Hampshire who he said he will never forget. He gave a special thank you to the people of Ohio for giving him the opportunity to be a leader in the Buckeye State. He described his governorship and his presidential campaign as the greatest professional experience in his lifetime, and made sure to tell every voter he encountered how great Ohio is doing.
Kasich then turned to what the country needs to do. He said that we know we need to lower taxes for individuals and businesses, and have a realistic path to balance the budget. He called for a balanced budget amendment. He also said that politicians must work to do the right thing, ignore the pollsters, and “overcome the fear of reelection.” As he’s said on the campaign trail, Kasich also noted that we need to shift power, money, and influence back to the people; it’s time to make America run from the bottom up again.
In closing, he said, “as I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life. Thank you, and God bless.”